A snake last Thursday slithered on the grass and onto the red carpet، coursing inches to President Museveni who was addressing a public rally in Kirangira Village، Mukono District، AllAfrica.com reported.

Ministers and senior district officials fled from the VIP tent as soldiers in the Special Forces Command، who guard the President، raced to kill the serpent.They trampled on it with heavy military boots، smashing it to death. The fight to kill the snake in a dimly-lit VIP tent interrupted Mr Museveni's speech.

"What is it?" the President murmured in Kiswahili as he moved his feet away. The guards took away chairs and busied themselves with killing the snake.

By this time، Lands state minister Persis Namuganza، under whose chair the snake glided toward the President، had sprinted off.

Others who escaped in panic were State Water minister Ronald Kibuule، Mukono District chairperson Andrew Ssenyonga and Justice Catherine Bamugemereire، the chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters.President Museveni was in the area to address residents kicked off a tract of land by Mr Dick Banoba. The affected claimants were taken off the 200-acre land about five months ago.

The President stopped the evictions، pending what he called "further studies".

"The snake came from Minister Namugaza's side، passed [under] her chair and rushed to Museveni's feet،" Mr Kibuule said last evening of the 7:30pm incident last Thursday.

Several metres away، curious onlookers craned their neck and others surged forward to see for themselves what was happening. Some claimed it was a frog while others insisted it was a snake.

Order was restored and the President resumed his speech only after the guards tossed the dead snake into a nearby bush.